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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Three individual runners finished in the top 20 to help the Allegheny men place seventh in a strong field of 24 teams at the annual Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University. 

For the third consecutive event, senior John Hughes turned in the Gators' top individual finish, taking 12th, while junior Matt Svetz placed 16th, and senior Carter Smith 18th.  The effort of the three veterans helped the Gators tie for seventh overall, and place fourth among Division III teams, in the 24-team field.  

"It was a really big field, and the first really big meet of the season," said Gator head coach Ben Mourer '07.  "I was pleased that our top three men showed that they could compete with the best."

Hughes, who placed first in each of the Gators' first two team events this fall, continued his strong senior campaign, as he covered the 8-kilometer course in 24:57, marking just the second time in his career that he broke the 25-minute mark and eclipsing his performance at the 2016 Paul Short by 52 seconds. 

Coming off of his highest career individual finish 13 days prior at the Allegheny Classic, Svetz established a new 8-kilometer personal best with a time of 24:59.  

Svetz, who earned his first top-10 finish 13 days prior at the Allegheny Classic, eclipsed the 25-minute mark for the first time in his career, clocking in at a career-best 24:59, while Smith's final time of 25:03 marked the second-best of his four-year career.

Rookie Adam Cook was the Gators' fourth man, posting a time of 26:18, while the sophomore trio of Seth Conard (26:59), Christian Geer (27:14), and Gabe Herbst (27:26) rounding out the team's top seven.

Queen's University won the team title, with each of its top five runners placing in the top 25, to finish with a score of 64.  Shippensburg took second, with 106 points, followed by Carnegie Mellon (138), Edinboro (218), and St. Lawrence (225).  Austin Cooper of IUP placed first individually with a time of 24:35.

The Gators competed in the Brown Division at the Paul Short Run, as the 27-team field was comprised of nine Division II squads and 18 D-III members.

Allegheny will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 14, when they take part in the Inter-Regional Rumble hosted by Oberlin College.

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